guinea fowl
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
So called because it was brought to us from the coast of Guinea, where it is very common.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “guinea fowl” mean?
So called because it was brought to us from the coast of Guinea, where it is very common.
Is “guinea fowl” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.